Time to get rid of the Monarchy?

[Samson]

It seems one way or another the UK may not have a queen for much longer. For any Brit under 70 this is the first change of head of state they have ever known. Should we take this chance to rid ourselves of the Monarchy, or should we preserve this institution?

If we did, would we have to replace it with anything? What roles would we need to fill if we do not get King Charles the Third to do them?

Some may not be aware of the Monarchs contribution to modern UK lawmaking. Here are some links that may explain it:

• Queen lobbied for change in law to hide her private wealth
• Royals vetted more than 1,000 laws via Queen’s consent
• Queen’s sweeping immunity from more than 160 laws
• Queen’s secret influence on laws revealed in Scottish government memo
• The Queen is the only person in the world who has the sole authority to launch a thermonuclear strike

Music for today:

 

[Samson]

The video is geoblocked. What's going on?

The lyrics are below, but Kyriakos sums it up.

Spoiler Lyrics of God Save the Queen :

God save the queen
The fascist regime
They made you a moron
A potential H bomb
God save the queen
She's not a human being
and There's no future
And England's dreaming
Don't be told what you want
Don't be told what you need
There's no future
No future
No future for you
God save the queen
We mean it man
We love our queen
God saves
God save the queen
'Cause tourists are money
And our figurehead
Is not what she seems
Oh God save history
God save your mad parade
Oh Lord God have mercy
All crimes are paid
Oh when there's no future
How can there be sin
We're the flowers
In the dustbin
We're the poison
In your human machine
We're the future
Your future
God save the queen
We mean it man
We love our queen
God saves
God save the queen
We mean it man
There's no future
In England's dreaming God save the queen
No future
No future
No future for you
No future
No future
No future for me
No future
No future
No future for you

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Well, that's disgusting.

 

[Kupe Navigator]

The queen still has a lot of say, to the point that we cannot actually know how much say she has, though it has become somewhat more clear recently.

• Queen lobbied for change in law to hide her private wealth
• Royals vetted more than 1,000 laws via Queen’s consent
• Queen’s sweeping immunity from more than 160 laws
• Queen’s secret influence on laws revealed in Scottish government memo

Britain is funny that way. Before removing royals they need to get rid of all class system and I wonder if they are ready for such a big change?
It isn't like in UK royals are only class there and rest are normal people divided only by wealth like in other nations.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

You're nearly 45 years to late to be clutching pearls over this one.

1. I don't listen to that sort of music, so I had no idea it existed.

2. I have reasons to respect the Queen, and there are constitutional reasons to be glad that some of our own provincial politicians' insane ideas can't go forward without the signature of the Lieutenant-Governor.

 

[Kupe Navigator]

welp there are people who half-jokingly say royal families should retake power rather than Liz Truss,

 

[Arakhor]

I think that there are some inherited titles (like Baron?) which go to the offspring and never are lost, but most of the peers are just named by now and the titles end with the one person.
Also, I doubt that anyone outside the actual royal family gets state money to support them (they just live off their massive inheritance, until/unless it is spent).

Barons are typically life peers, and there are far more of them than the titled aristocracy, who do pass down their titles.

 

[Samson]

Content moved to OP.

 

[JohannaK]

Yes, abolish it, and abolish the peerage while at it. I imagine it'd be a bureaucratic and ceremonial nightmare since all the functions of state to some degree or other rely on aristocratic ritual and such, but I can't think it would be a bad thing.

 

[Kyriakos]

Barons are typically life peers, and there are far more of them than the titled aristocracy, who do pass down their titles.

Yes, I only mentioned barons because I recall that time Bojo tried to shame Emily Thornberry by reffering to her with the title (hereditary, I suppose?) of her husband.

 

[Kyriakos]

I'd vote to abolish the monarchy, yes. It doesn't seem to accomplish much, but serves as a symbol of hypothetical unity when the country has taken dramatic steps towards dissolution.
I suppose many in Britain identify the royals with positive traditions too - as well as their history. But the institution may be too tainted by now to help, and social upheaval can only expose its atavism all the more.

 

[Lexicus]

mfw i see the poll results

Edit: at time of posting it was 7 for abolishing the monarchy, 0 for keeping it, and 3 for radioactive monkeys

 

[Kyriakos]

It will be interesting to see HM Charles III first public statement as king.

 

[Aiken_Drumn]

Time and tide wait for no Crown.

 

[EnglishEdward]

4 Guardian links and one other. I decided to read the other, the last by @ Samson, link.

I found it quite funny. For instance.

Some of us thought the Queen was on her last legs, but apparently:

Hell, to this day the Queen is still reportedly able to drive and repair a range of military
and civilian vehicles and is said to take great joy in flexing her mechanical knowledge on the
rare occasion one of her personal vehicles breaks down and it needs, the royal touch.

and:

To explain, the Queen is considered to be the de facto authority on all military matter
in the UK and the commonwealth with every member of the military swearing an oath of allegiance
not to their country of origin or their commanding officers, but the Queen

This is incorrect. Most of the commonwealth do not even recognise the Queen as their Head of State.

 

[AmazonQueen]

Barons are typically life peers, and there are far more of them than the titled aristocracy, who do pass down their titles.

Barons are actually the lowest rank of nobility and their title is inherited. Baronets and knights aren't inheritable titles.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Royal Assent is the final defense against PMs or premiers who run amok or if there are other constitutional problems that may cause chaos.

Therefore, I think it should be kept.

 

[Kyriakos]

Barons are actually the lowest rank of nobility and their title is inherited. Baronets and knights aren't inheritable titles.

Wasn't Thatcher named a baroness? (obviously not inheritable, ended with her).

 

[AmazonQueen]

Wasn't Thatcher named a baroness? (obviously not inheritable, ended with her).

You're right and that was only a life peerage. On the other hand Attlee was made a baron and his grandson is now the 3rd Baron Attlee (and a Tory!). Traditionally baron was the lowest rank of the peerage entitled to sit in the HoL and inheritable.
Life peerages date back to 1958.

 

[Arakhor]

The Queen scrupulously avoided ever being the talk of the town. She even assented to Johnson's illegal proroguement of Parliament in 2019.